Europe: Imports of Chinese Tomato Pastes

Chinese exports of tomato pastes to Europe have decreased considerably in recent years, although a few countries are exceptions, particularly among non-processing countries.

Following up on the recent article on quarterly Chinese exports of tomato pastes (products under customs codes 200290), Tomato News takes a closer look at the details of product movements destined for European markets.

As the latest quarterly statistics have already shown, Chinese exports of tomato pastes to Europe – in the broadest sense of the term – have decreased considerably in recent years, from nearly 237,000 tons of finished products in 2022/2023 to just over 165,000 tons in 2024/2025. This reorientation of European supplies has occurred against the backdrop of the overall Chinese export dynamic, which has recorded significant growth since 2021 (see additional information at the end of the article).

The majority of the decrease observed in Europe was due to Western EU countries, whose purchases fell by 33% (-45,000 tons) in 2024/2025 compared to the average of the three previous years (2021/2022 to 2023/2024); at the same time, sales of Chinese tomato pastes to Eastern EU countries and non-EU European countries increased significantly, by approximately 25,000 tons (+79%) for the former, and by 4,800 tons (+41%) for the latter.

In total, total European purchases over the period considered decreased by 8% and 14,700 tons, while Chinese external sales in the sector increased globally by nearly 171,000 tons (approximately 16%) (see additional information).

A comparison of the 2024/2025 results with those of the three previous years shows that the most significant decreases in Western Europe are attributable to Italy (-33,300 tons, a 37% decrease) and Portugal (-16,900 tons, -81%); some increases were recorded, notably for Spain (+1,100 tons, +15%) and most non-tomato processing countries (Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Netherlands, etc.).

In Eastern Europe, over the period considered, almost all countries increased their purchases of Chinese tomato pastes, and the largest regular customer countries were also the biggest contributors to this increase: quantities destined for the Polish market increased by 11,400 tons (+62%), while Croatian, Romanian, and Czech purchases increased by 4,900 tons (+208%), 2,800 tons (+47%), and 2,600 tons (+43%) respectively, to name only the most significant.

Outside the EU, Chinese exports of tomato pastes increased significantly in the United Kingdom and to a lesser extent in Albania and Serbia; British purchases increased in 2024/2025 by 4,000 tons (+48%) compared to the average of the three previous years, while Albanian and Serbian imports increased by 750 tons and 610 tons respectively.

In total, in 2024/2025, Europe accounted for slightly more than 13.5% of Chinese concentrate exports, broken down between Western Europe (7.6%), Eastern Europe (4.7%), and Europe outside the EU (1.4%). In the third quarter of 2024, European purchases represented 17% of Chinese external sales; this percentage fell to 10% in the third quarter of 2025.

In 2024/2025, revenue (approximately USD 970 million) generated by Chinese exports of tomato paste decreased by USD 406 million (-29%) compared to the 2023/2024 figure and by USD 123 million (-11%) compared to the average revenue of the three previous marketing years. Sales to Europe (USD 126 million) accounted for approximately 13% of the Chinese total for the last marketing year, and a comparison with the three previous years shows that total European spending decreased by USD 75 million (-37%) over the period: the bill for Western EU countries decreased by USD 78 million (-52%), while those for Eastern EU countries and non-EU European countries increased by USD 2.3 million (+6%) and USD 0.6 million (+4%), respectively.

Some complementary data

Evolution of total Chinese exports of tomato paste (HS codes 200290) over the last ten years.

European destinations of Chinese tomato paste exports in 2024/2025

Share of European imports in Chinese tomato paste exports over the last ten years.

Quarterly Chinese exports of tomato paste since the first quarter of 2021.

Quantities of processing tomatoes processed by the Chinese industry since 1989.

Sources: Trade Data Monitor, WPTC